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( I would love to connect with such a community, if only online. Are you familiar with any? Websites? Any in planning stages?
It might be helpful and informative, for all interested in such communities, to have an online group with details and contact info, as these intentional faithful Catholic communities are being formed.
Please email me at... bethiemccarthy(at)yahoo.com )

Thursday, May 28, 2015

"If you are not preparing yourself now, and your family now, bracing yourselves spiritually for the darkness into which civilization is descending, you will not survive. You will inherit Satan for your father. People do not suddenly decide to suffer for the Faith. They prepare themselves to suffer great hardships for the Faith, by undergoing little hardships and sacrifices in advance. You could think of it as a kind of dress rehearsal. Our Blessed Lord Himself said conversely: If you cannot be trusted in small matters, you cannot be trusted in larger ones (Luke 16:10).
Heroes do not miraculously appear. They have the stuff of heroism inside them all along, cultivated and molded and formed, waiting to emerge publicly if and when the correct circumstances arise." ~ Michael VorisVortex: Only the Brave Will Survive

"The “one thing necessary” (unum necessarium) constitutes the essential foundation for the interior life and consists in hearing the word of God and living by it (I will serve!). It stems from the story of Martha and Mary (Lk 10:38-42), where we first see that, amazingly, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity was sitting right in their living room. Now, Martha remains busy with the good and noble protocol of hospitality while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, her eyes locked on His holy face, peering into His soul, hanging on His every word. Mary is actually in adoration, soaking in everything our Lord wants to give her. I like to say that she is “Mary-nating” — soaking in the gusher of God’s graces. Mary had come to understand what St. Augustine said: “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” Remarkable!

When Martha objects to Mary’s lack of activity, Jesus tells Martha that she remains anxious and upset about many things while Mary has chosen the better portion, the “one thing necessary” (unum necessarium). Mary was the one who was making the guest truly feel welcomed while Martha remained detached, going through the motions of the demands of protocol. God is light and love and truth Who brings order and meaning and serenity to our lives. While we remain disconnected from our Source, we remain easily agitated and frustrated in our disordered and chaotic existence as we continue to walk in darkness.

A very significant modern example of this is seen in the Martha-like indifference to the presence of the Divine in so many of our present-day liturgies, compared to a more Mary-like contemplative way of worshiping. Contemplative awe and veneration has always been the distinctive way Catholics worshiped, until recent decades. The unintended consequence of the modern initiative to push for a more irreverent way of worshiping that is performance oriented and man-centered, lacking in a deep sense of the sacredness of God, has led to an epidemic of detachment from the Divine, facilitating the modern prevalence of "acedia" - spiritual sloth (indifference towards spiritual things). Like Martha, God is “right there in our midst,” but we act as though He is not, or if He is, “What’s the big deal?”"

Sunday, May 24, 2015

"The Savior is described by St. Luke as telling His followers to pray continually. It is a universal duty applying to all believers. It means that we are really commanded both to pray always, and forbidden to cease doing so. What can the Holy Spirit possibly mean?"

“Sentimental Theology” is the famous article by Brother Francis, M.I.C.M. which threw us into the limelight in the late 1940’s. It is as relevant today as it was then, for “Sentimental thinking about religious matters is [still] very much with us today.”Sentimental Theology

"Franciscan University of Steubenville will celebrate 40 years of conferences this summer. Since the first gathering for Catholic priests in 1975, the University's conferences have grown to provide spiritual renewal each summer to more than 52,000 people."Read more about this summer's conferences:Franciscan University 2015 Summer Conferences: Celebrating 40 Years

Sunday, May 10, 2015

"While other Christian religions either totally ignore or minimize Mary’s role in salvation, Catholics and Muslims share a great love and reverence for the mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The fact that Mary appeared at Fatima, Portugal, a Catholic town bearing this revered Muslim name, (named for a Muslim princess) is a great sign for our times."....